Aidikoff, Uhl & Bakhtiari announces the filing of a FINRA arbitration seeking more than $1.1 million and its continuing investigation of the sales practices of Mark Heiden for his management of client accounts and the overconcentration of energy related stocks investments:

Energy XXI Bermuda Ltd.

Clearbridge American Energy MLP

Goldman Sachs MLP Energy

Arch Coal

Seadrill

We are currently investigating whether all material risks of the recommended investments were disclosed to clients as well as whether Wedbush broker, Mark Heiden, implemented an appropriate risk management strategy.

“The level of concentration in energy related securities posed a risk that customers could not appreciate,” said Ryan Bakhtiari.

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Aidikoff, Uhl & Bakhtiari represents retail and institutional investors around the world in securities arbitration and litigation matters. Attorneys for the firm have appeared before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and in numerous state and federal courts to resolve financial disputes between customers, banks, brokerage firms and other financial institutions.

U.S. prosecutors on Thursday announced criminal fraud charges against two former American Realty Capital Properties Inc executives stemming from a 2014 accounting scandal that wiped out roughly $4 billion of the real estate investment trust’s market value.

Former Chief Financial Officer Brian Block, 44, was charged with six criminal counts, including securities fraud, conspiracy and making false statements, according to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan.

Lisa McAlister, 52, a former chief accounting officer, pleaded guilty on June 29 to four counts, including securities fraud and conspiracy, and is cooperating, Bharara said.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed related civil charges against both defendants, seeking fines and officer and director bans.

Block was arrested on Thursday at his home in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. He was released on $1 million bond after appearing in the federal court in Philadelphia, prosecutors said.

The REIT, which has since changed its name to Vereit Inc. and is under new management, declined to comment. Vereit has said in past regulatory filings that it has been cooperating with investigators.

The accounting scandal that rocked American Realty Capital in 2014 represented a significant black eye for the nontraded real-estate investment trust business, which flourished during the years following the 2008 financial crash. Nontraded REITs, which purchased non-flashy commercial property, were popular with small investors because of the relatively high dividends they offered.

But they came under fire from regulators and others because of their high fees and weak disclosure. New regulations have gone into effect in recent years, but the industry’s fundraising efforts have been hurt by the negative publicity.

Securities arbitration and litigation on behalf of institutional investors, municipalities, high net worth investors, retail investors, individual investors, and employees in California, Texas, New York, Washington D.C. and around the country, including the major metro areas of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Houston, New York, and more. We are securities fraud lawyers/investment fraud attorneys focused on all types of financial fraud cases.